How to fit a tillerpilot

[DoubleEnder]

My boat is tiller steered. The head of the rudder is some way aft of the cockpit, so though the tiller is about 3 feet long, most of it crosses the deck (and a hatch) - only a short part of the tiller protrudes into the cockpit. If I fit a tiller pilot so that it connects with the part of the tiller that's in the cockpit there mayn't be enough travel to steer the boat. And if I try to fit it further aft, I am running in to problems of interfering with main sheet horse.

Below deck I have a bronze rudder tube that goes all the way up to the deckhead. This was procured at enormous expense, and is a mighty piece of kit that will last 1000 years, to be dug up by archaeologists long after the rest of the boat has receycled itself. So I really don't want to cut a hole in it to fit a below deck quadrant.

So. Any really clever ideas?

Thank you

Graham

 

[Rob Gates]

Hi Graham,

Not a clever reply I'm afraid, just an interesting diversion, but vane gear should handle the situation - the whole thing is mounted aft of the tiller and rudder. Furthermore it's solid mechanical stuff - not an electronic black box.

Here's all about it with a couple of interesting videos.

Whether vane gear looks beautiful or as though you have reversed into an electricity pylon lies in the eye of the beholder I guess - personally I find it rather beautiful.

Some years ago I spent a very pleasant day aboard an old Gauntlet fitted with vane gear and was well impressed.

 

[sailorman]

My boat is tiller steered. The head of the rudder is some way aft of the cockpit, so though the tiller is about 3 feet long, most of it crosses the deck (and a hatch) - only a short part of the tiller protrudes into the cockpit. If I fit a tiller pilot so that it connects with the part of the tiller that's in the cockpit there mayn't be enough travel to steer the boat. And if I try to fit it further aft, I am running in to problems of interfering with main sheet horse.

Below deck I have a bronze rudder tube that goes all the way up to the deckhead. This was procured at enormous expense, and is a mighty piece of kit that will last 1000 years, to be dug up by archaeologists long after the rest of the boat has receycled itself. So I really don't want to cut a hole in it to fit a below deck quadrant.

So. Any really clever ideas?

Thank you

Graham

normally a tiller pilot attachment is around 18" forward of the stock. in your case would be on the aft deck/ hatch area

 

[fishermantwo]

Not sure of your layout but you might have to think outside the box. Something like an 18 inch bracket mounted on the tiller head either astern or at 90 degrees to the tiller and the pilot set up appropriatly. Perhaps raise the traveller so the pilot operates under it.

 

[seasolutions]

Not sure of your layout but you might have to think outside the box. Something like an 18 inch bracket mounted on the tiller head either astern or at 90 degrees to the tiller and the pilot set up appropriately. Perhaps raise the traveler so the pilot operates under it.

Agreed, a stub tiller coming aft from the stock sounds like the best plan, not sure what affect you would have on the tiller pilots internal flux-gate if you mounted it fore-aft on an 90 degree stub tiller.

failing that, could you cut a slot in the deck (noooooooo) and fix a bracket to the tiller that extended through the slot, then mount the pilot below the deck?

 

[Sequoiah1]

There will be a ideal distance fwd of the stock that the pilot has to sit subject to manufacturer. You need to stick to this distance off the stock whether you mount to the tiller or another tiller arm
Normally the pilot is only in situ when underway so what about having the mounting on the hatch (assuming hatch is securable and strong enough) the power lead should be long enough to reach a deck plug anyway.... With the pilot not in situ the deck hatch is accesible and usable still

 

[DoubleEnder]

food for thought

Thank you everyone.....I will have a think about these ideas. An extension aft of the stock might work.....though, as the boat is double ended, the deck gets a bit narrow there. Or a hatch mounting, hmmmmm.

But let's see, thanks everybody

Graham